Your Guardian Angel
by Kinsey Rachelle
Summary: Fifteen-year-old Hinata Hyuuga runs away from home only to fall into the hands of Orochimaru and the mysterious runaway, Sasuke Uchiha. What was there to run from if she had everything? Can she ever be happy, especially there? Where do you go from here...
1. Abandon

**Your Guardian Angel  
**Chapter 1: Abandon  
___"When it's dark enough, you can see the stars." - Charles Austin Beard_

* * *

She ran away.

The plan was already in motion. All she could do now was pray that this would work the way it was supposed to. There was nothing stopping her from rushing into the bitter night air. Nothing but fear, that is. Fear alone was enough to hold her back just as it had for so long… No, for too long. She wouldn't be hindered anymore. So, with a face turned to stone, she held her tears and ran without a second glance at what she was leaving behind.

This moment had been a long time coming. For as long as she could remember she'd been trying to match the skill level of other ninja in the village, a task which she never seemed to achieve. Not until recently, that is. However, despite her recent training and advancement of skill, she continued to put on a façade of weakness to the outside world. Believing her little act, her father's contempt towards her only increased, piling more destruction on top of their already damaged relationship. Then, to finish it off, there was the boy. He'd been gone for so long she was tired of waiting. She came to terms with the fact that he would never come for her anyway, and now there was nothing grounding her to this village.

All of this realization, pain, and rejection had been piling up on her shoulders for a long time, long enough to crush and mold her into someone unrecognizable. By the time she decided to leave for good, she was no longer the shy girl everyone grew up with.

_No one but me. Nothing but this. This is who I am now. No one will stop me. This is what I'm doing and I will follow through. No tears, no fear, no pain, no nothing. Let me be whom I'm running for and leave behind all I'm running from. Don't look back. The things I'm leaving behind are part of who I was. I'm not her anymore._

It had been two years. The battles were fought what seemed like ages ago, but the stories of her comrades lived on. She heard tales of mass destruction ever since their return, but now the grounds were almost completely restored, leaving her little to follow as she ran on and on. Thankfully the stories of her comrades were so vivid in her memory, it was as if they had lives of their own. They told her where to go, so she carried on, following two things; pictures from second hand memories and instincts.

When she reached the waterfall she could almost picture the scene; two great, young ninja with hidden power battling against each other, both unleashed, both ready to fight to the death. Despite the strong image in her head, a battle of light versus darkness, she let no emotion pass through her as she ran past the falls, barely stopping to fill her canteen. The statues on either side of the falls remained broken, the only sure sign that she was heading in the right direction. This, however, was the last landmark and the stories faded, no longer able to aid her on her way. She now followed nothing but impulses.

From the outside, her chakra reserve never seemed to dwindle. Inside it was slipping quickly, draining from her and taking strength with it. She ignored the signs, still trying to get as far away as possible by any means necessary, even at the cost of damaging herself.

She never stopped, never turned back. She didn't sleep or eat. All she did was run. She didn't stop to think about how the Hyuuga clan would deal with her absence. She didn't stop to think what her friends would do, or who would come after her, if anyone did. All she did was move forward.

_One foot in front of the other. Breathe. Move. This is my chance. This is what I want. I will not turn around. I'm out there somewhere, I just have to find me._

The exact amount of time that passed was unknown to her. Eventually, she reached a mountain where finally, she stopped. She felt, almost with relief, that there was nowhere else to go. Her water reserve had run out long before and as she stood observing the rock face, everything else she'd been holding on to seemed to drain with it. With the realization that there was nowhere else for her to run, exhaustion and hunger overtook her body. Her eyes rolled back in her head, her body shook uncontrollably for a few immeasurable seconds, and the girl collapsed into an unconscious heap on the ground.

* * *

He leaped from atop the mountain, his face like unbreakable stone. His daily escape was over and it was time to return to the darkness he called life. Soundlessly landing on the ground and preparing to enter the cavern, something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. He pulled a katana from his back, hoping, almost praying for an actual fight. Upon seeing the form of a motionless body, however, he returned his weapon to its sheath.

"Hn," the boy hummed as a smirk flashed across his thin lips. He flipped his fingers without a second thought, laying his hand on the stone before him. It opened obligingly at his touch and he plunged into darkness, the secret door closing behind him of its own accord, leaving the body sealed off on the outside. The moment the door fitted back into place, the torches lining the cold, stone walls ignited, casting a haunting orange glow on the barriers around him. Though every corridor looked the same as the last, the torches guided him through the endless labyrinth with ease.

After turning several corners he found himself far underground and a long way from the exit. His footsteps were the only sound in the deserted passage. They echoed off the walls eerily, yet to him the soft pad of footsteps was simply another familiar pattern in his life. When he came to the door he wanted, the boy flung it open without hesitating or even stopping to knock. The two men already occupying the room stopped talking immediately, their conversation rudely interrupted by the boy's entrance.

"As disrespectful as ever," the silver-haired man criticized, his glasses glinting in the torchlight.

The younger boy's eyes ominously flashed as he glared in the direction of the voice. "There's a body outside at the entrance," his deep voice informed the other two men coolly.

"And you left it? That's not like you," the third man observed, his voice the soft hiss of a snake.

"Hn."

The silver-haired man sniffed. "I see you're not going to be cooperative. I'll go take care of-"

"No," the snake-like man interrupted. "I want the boy to take care of it. Let him do it. It's simple and clean."

Though flustered, the other man agreed with a silent nod, directing a smirk at the boy who was now perched on a small step surrounding the base of the stone room. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the lenses flashing again. The teenager's eyes sparked, the fire light from the torches dancing threateningly within them. For a split second they seemed to shine red, but the color diminished in a blink, as if it had never happened at all. He fought the urge to activate his Kekkei Genkai; the other man could be taken down in two seconds, but he wouldn't risk it. He refused to let his emotions take control of him. This was part of his training. Without a word or hint of feeling he rose from the ground and left the room as two pairs of eyes watched his retreat.

Once back in the abandoned halls, he decided that carrying out his order couldn't wait. He made the familiar trek that would lead him to the sun. When the rock spread before him, he stepped into the light and stood hovering above the body. It hadn't moved an inch since he left it earlier and the boy began to wonder just how long it had been there.

The boy examined the body carefully, circling it like a vulture might circle its prey. It was a girl. Her hair was the color of midnight set against pale ivory skin that was slowly turning red in the high afternoon sun. Her choppy bangs just brushed the top of her thick, black eyelashes that seemed to suggest wide eyes, like those of a child. He noticed her chest didn't move and wondered if she was already dead. He grimly thought that perhaps the sun had baked her dehydrated body. Kneeling beside her, his ear next to her mouth, he heard the slight whistle of breath that hinted otherwise.

Standing straight up he drew his weapon again, ready to draw blood. The fact that there would be no fight involved did dull his anticipation. It was just too easy. Nonetheless his mind raced with excitement. The order had been given and now had to be carried out. He had no choice. Ready to do the deed, he placed the katana against her neck but hesitated when he heard the clank of metal against metal. Shifting aside a strand of hair with the tip of his blade he paused. There, on her neck…

In that split second of hesitation the girl's eyes shot open. White-purple like marble and glazed from sleep and hunger, her eyes bore into him. Her body motionless, her expression unreadable. Not quite blank, but impassive, as if the blade at her neck had no affect on her at all. His katana never wavered from its position as he stared back, black meeting white.

Slowly he slipped his sword onto her skin and dragged the metal across her neck, the cold blade so surprisingly intense in the desert heat it sent a ripple through her body. He made sure not to puncture her skin, but drew out the process, his eyes never leaving hers. The girl's eyes, however, moved down to look at the blade. She followed it up to the handle, over his arm, then back to his eyes. By the time they returned, the blade no longer threatened her life. Yet she still didn't move. He couldn't decide if it was out of fear that she did so, or if her body was holding her back, pain standing in her way.

Looking closer, the boy realized he didn't recognize her; she didn't look like anyone he had gone to the academy with, though she did look to be about his age. He couldn't be sure, though, for he had paid attention to very few of his classmates and had spent the better part of the last two years trying to forget everything in his past life. Anyone he saw now would be aged two years. The aging, coupled with his inattentiveness, would make anyone but a select few nearly unrecognizable. Despite the fact that he couldn't identify her, the forehead protector around her neck gave her away. She couldn't deny it if he asked.

"Hn… Konoha, huh?" At the sound of his voice she winced involuntarily. Was it the hardness of his speech or the name of the place from which she came? The latter option he especially could sympathize with. A shadow of recognition passed over her face, but it was quickly masked. Had she already identified the boy who now held to the balance of her life in his hands? She closed her eyes for a long moment in response to his question. They stared at each other for a length of time before, looking him in the eyes, her cracked lips moved wordlessly. He was beginning to get annoyed; she didn't move, she didn't speak, and she didn't seem to show emotion except that one little flicker when he had spoken. There was just… Nothing.

"Stand up," he ordered in the same cold tone. She did as she was told without objection. He thought she would shake as she did so, or even remain on the ground, unable to stand at all. However, she stood fluidly, like moving through water. Once up he saw that her hair fell lightly around her face and reached midway down her back. The sun was behind her and seemed to create a halo of light around her silhouette.

"What's your name?" he asked, looking directly into her marble eyes. She remained silent, still a blank canvas. "I said, what's your name? Tell me." He didn't raise his voice but the tone changed. It now held a threat, a sound of authority. Her eyes flashed quickly to his hand where the boy's grip tightened on the handle of his blade. When she still didn't respond he raised it, the tip touching under her chin. She lifted her head, as any one would, and closed her eyes.

The boy closed his eyes, too, and lowered the metal, taking a deep breath and letting it out with a sigh of frustration. When his eyelids peeled back to once again reveal his onyx orbs, there she was, looking right at him. But this time there was something in her eyes… It was the look one might give someone if they were apologizing. He wasn't sure why she was looking at him like that, or what she was apologizing for. What a strange girl this one was.

"Hn." He was tired of this. As his hands brought his sword into the air, her eyes never wavered from his. Even though it shouldn't have, it made him uneasy to think that she would lock eyes with her murderer as he brought death down upon her. Both of them expected the katana to swing around, cutting into flesh, over in a flash. Surprisingly enough for both of them, he placed the blade into its spot on his back.

The boy turned his back on her and repeated the familiar movements of his fingers, placing his hand on the rock and walking in. She followed without being asked. Through never-ending corridors and around countless corners he led her by torchlight until they reached a door. Like the last time he went through it, he opened it without knocking and she followed.


	2. Hesitation

**Your Guardian Angel  
**Chapter 2: Hesitation  
_"We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are" - Max DePree_

* * *

Into darkness they plunged as the doors closed behind them. The room was large and eerily lit as light from only a few torches illuminated patches on the walls. From what she could see there were two flames on each side wall, but the back of the room was an abyss from where she stood. Two men stood centered in front of what looked like a giant stone statue. Of what, she could not be sure. The entire room, she now noticed, was concrete. It was cold and uninviting, even ghostly. A shiver ran down her spine.

Hearing their entrance the figures across from her and the boy turned their heads in the direction of the door. Hinata tried to continue repressing her fear as she looked both of them full on. The one on her left was tall and pale, his long, dark hair swaying around his face as his head turned. Fire danced in his evil eyes. The other was gray-haired, but young. As he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the lenses flashed, briefly reminding the girl of one of her teammates back in Konoha. Both wore annoyed expressions, but the snake-like man's was more efficiently masked.

Looking at them both, recognition dawned and fear settled in the pit of her stomach. Her child-like eyes widened further and her teeth chewed the inside of her cheek.

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru hissed, "what have you here? I thought I told you to take care of her." The man's reptilian eyes roamed her body. She stood her ground, fighting the urge to hide behind Sasuke as Orochimaru sized her up with his haunting gold-gray eyes. All of his features were sharp, yet his lanky figure was reminiscent of a snake. His arms, colored differently from the rest of his skin, dangled limply at sides. Stringy black hair fell around his face in oily strands. Hinata was face to face with the man who had been so appropriately named the Snake Sannin.

"Hn." That seemed to be Sasuke's signature noise; Hinata was starting to pick up a pattern in his speech. "You do all that strange experimenting," he said in a tone that announced he could care less what went on _during_ said experimenting. "I have simply provided you with another subject. She's alive and seems healthy. I'm sure you could find some use for her."

Disgust rose inside Hinata at the boy's emotionless nature towards performing dangerous tests on humans. He spoke of her as if she were an animal being sold for slaughter. Considering the context, however, what lay in store for her was probably very similar to the fate those animals meet.

"I see…" Orochimaru said, his eyes moving from one teen to the other. Hinata cast her gaze downwards, looking at her feet, unable to meet the Sannin's eyes the way she had Sasuke's out in the desert. Her hands clasped behind her back as she fought the urge to twiddle her fingers like she did in uncomfortable situations as a child. "Well, seeing as there is obviously something keeping you from killing this girl, she is yours. I've got enough to deal with as it is." Hinata winced at his words; everyone noticed, but no one paid her any attention.

Hinata looked up in time to catch Kabuto throw a quick glance between Orochimaru and Sasuke before his eyes came to rest on her. She could almost feel the heat of his glare through his glasses. The Sannin was looking at her, too. Sasuke looked at his teacher before redirecting his attention. The look on his face almost matched the disgust Hinata felt towards him. At least the feeling was mutual. As three pairs of eyes stared at her, Hinata's careful mask broke and fear was obvious on her features.

"I don't want her," Sasuke announced, still looking at the Hyuuga with loathing. She couldn't understand why he should hate her so quickly. Trying to avoid their glares, Hinata averted her eyes and continued to stare at her feet yet again. No matter how hard she tried, however, she could still feel their eyes on her.

"Then take care of her like I said to, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru ordered. When he spoke it sent a feeling through Hinata that made her sure his words alone could raise the dead if he willed them to. "I have no use for her. You have no use for her. Just kill her. Now leave. We have work to do." It dawned on Hinata that this debate over what to do with a human life seemed to be the most normal discussion in the world for the trio. Her life was in their hands.

Sasuke released a sigh as the two men went back to talking in hushed tones. He cast a hard glare upon the cowering girl next to him. The intensity Hinata felt radiating from his eyes pulled her attention away from her shoes and to Sasuke's face. This was the Sasuke that planned to kill his brother and revenge his clan? This was the Sasuke that was Naruto's best friend and biggest rival? This was the Sasuke everyone almost died for? Hinata's stomach churned.

She could see nothing but hate in those eyes. There was no past, and there was but one future. He wouldn't let anything steer him away from that, and she was not in the plans. She would be done away with. This was the end of the line for Hinata Hyuuga, and though her stomach seemed to be doing summersaults, she found a sort of peace in that fact. She looked him in the eyes, still cowering a little, but more composed than just a moment before. Hinata was ready to face death if he was ready to bring it down upon her.

Sasuke seemed to be waiting for her to speak, but she didn't trust her own voice for it would surely betray her. Around friends and family back home her stutter vanished long ago. But here in the presence of this hatred-filled stranger she feared the speech impediment would reappear, the stutter a sign of cowardice. Every nerve in her body warned her not to speak and Hinata heeded the warning.

_There will be no last words from Hinata Hyuuga. I will face death as it is brought to me. I will not make a plea for my life to be spared, for there is no need for one. I escaped from that prison I used to call home. There was nothing to live for back in the village and there is certainly nothing to live for in the den of villains. It is only fitting that my end comes now._

For the love of her Hinata couldn't think of a single thing to do besides stare into the shining, black eyes of Sasuke Uchiha as they burned into her with ice, and accept the end to a short-lived life full of loss and burden.

_This is my end. I am ready._

* * *

There was no reason to keep her around, so why couldn't he kill her? He couldn't think of one solid reason why he seemed unable to do the deed. The only thing Sasuke could think was that she was from Konoha. On the surface of his mind that was even more reason her to be dead already or, even better, be tortured. Anyone from Konoha deserved a slow, painful death and now was his chance. This girl was wearing his patience thin and she hadn't even spoken a word. For only five minutes she had been cowering beside him, and yet he already found himself staring at her with such intensity he hoped his glower would burn through her with the hatred boiling inside him.

Behind that hatred, however, was a barrier. Sasuke simply couldn't bring himself to kill her. There were so many ways to do it, the quickest of which would be by katana. The blade was within reach. She was standing before him. All he had to do was swing it around and it would be done. But maybe she deserved a slower punishment, one that involved his Kekkei Genkai and an eternity in whatever personal Hell he could scrounge up from the depths of her repressed memories. Again, however, she faced him, staring into his eyes knowing he was to kill her. There was fear in her eyes instead of the carefully impassive face she wore earlier, but her eyes never wavered from his.

"She's from Konoha." Kabuto's voice rang off the cold stone walls and soaked into every fiber of the boy's being. It seemed to echo in his head, reviving a wave of utter loathing for the word, the place, and the girl standing in front of him as a reminder of his pathetic past. Sasuke turned on Kabuto, fighting the urge to activate his Sharingan now more than he had in a long time.

Hinata's head snapped in the direction of the man as she suddenly remembered the medal worn around her neck. Instinctively her hand reached up, a finger tracing the familiar swirl of the Hidden Leaf Village's emblem. When his sword had touched her throat… Sasuke had realized it then. He knew, they all did, and she saw her life slip away a little more.

"I see." Orochimaru's face was almost one of amusement as a smirk distorted his thin lips. His eyes bore into Hinata yet again. "You take Sasuke-kun back to his old memories… That is why he looks at you with such disdain."

The Sannin moved towards the girl in way that was more slink than stride. Her eyes grew wider with every step he took in her direction. When he stood a mere six inches in front of her, an abnormally long tongue slipped from his mouth to lick his narrow lips. She shivered at the sight but stood her ground. Hinata expect him to reach for the protector around her neck, but his arms remained lifeless at his sides. Instead he leaned in close to her, so close she could feel the heat of his breath on her skin. His eyes stared hungrily at the swirl from a moment, tracing it with his sight, before jumping up to meet her eyes. Orochimaru pulled back, standing straight again. "Kill her or take her Sasuke-kun. Do what you want."

Sasuke's death glare gained even more power as he stared the girl down. He wanted her blood to stain the walls of the room. He wanted to listen to her scream so loud he couldn't hear his own thoughts. Just standing in her presence made him ache. He wanted her dead. The bloodlust burned inside the pit of his stomach until it was unbearable, but his body wouldn't match the movements he pictured in his head. Whatever was holding him back had no name. It was simply present. Sasuke couldn't decide if he was more frustrated with himself or the girl. His hands curled into fists at his side as his fingers itched with the urge to take his sword from its sheath and cut her in half in one, smooth motion. And still…

He turned from the two men who had stopped conversing and were watching the pair closely. His stony face pointed toward the wooden door as he moved forward in a tense but swift motion. Realizing she had not yet met her end and that Sasuke was giving her yet another second chance, Hinata followed him through the heavy door. It echoed across the unnaturally still halls as it latched shut behind them.

There was tension in the air as Hinata walked behind him, her footsteps a pace behind his as the torchlight flickered on the walls, casting an orange glow over every similar passage. After what seemed like an eternity of long, angry silence, the boy in front of her stopped so suddenly she almost ran into him. Sasuke turned to face her, his eyes still burning, his hands still clenched.

"Know this much: You are lucky to be alive right now," he snapped, his words biting into her. "You will go in this room and you will stay in this room until I say otherwise. Do you understand?" Sasuke's voice was cold and harsh, but he didn't raise it. She nodded her head slowly in understanding. This was Sasuke being gracious and she would accept it. He pulled the door open and grabbed her wrist violently, tossing her inside.

The boy looked his captive up and down cruelly and snorted in disgust. "Keep this in mind, you pathetic excuse for a human," Sasuke ordered, his eyes so intense on hers she actually took a step away from him. "I can kill you any time I want." With that he threw one last malicious look before slamming the door closed. Hinata heard the lock click and the familiar feeling of being trapped settled in the pit of her stomach. Hinata ran away from home to escape that feeling only to run right back into it.


	3. Reason

**Your Guardian Angel  
**Chapter 3: Reason  
_"The best things in life are unexpected-because there were no expectations"-Eli Khamarov_

* * *

Something was wrong… Something was deadly wrong. Damn it! If only he knew what it was. The boy angrily raced down passageways and around corners, down empty halls and past closed doors. His eyes burned with a hate-filled fire that cracked what was normally a controlled mask. The teen, through his blind rage, most likely would have killed anyone in his path. He wanted to fight, to get his hands on something. Unfortunately there was no one else in the entire place.

Sasuke flew down a final hall and threw open a door, busting into the room for a third time that day. The men paid him no notice as he stomped in although the sound of his entrance was thunderous in the quiet room. By the time the raven-haired boy reached them, his features were cold again, but his onyx eyes continued to burn fiercely.

"What now, Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru hissed, his voice bone-chillingly calm.

"Now," was the prodigy's sharp reply. He didn't bother to elaborate.

The snake Sannin's thin lips stretched into a sneer fit only for a demon. "You're perfectly capable of training on your own, Sasuke-kun. Can you not see Kabuto and I have something important to discuss?"

"Something you have managed to interrupt twice already, now three times," the gray-haired man said. His glasses characteristically flashed in the torchlight as he pushed them up the bridge of his nose.

Sasuke paid Kabuto no attention and instead glared daggers at Orochimaru, looking right into the narrow, golden-gray eyes. An almost tangible electricity seemed to flow between teacher and pupil. Sasuke's face remained indifferent while Orochimaru's still displayed his evil, knowing grin.

After a moment the leader began to laugh. The blood-curdling sound reverberated through the stone chamber as if dozens of people were laughing at once instead of only one. A shiver used to crawl down Sasuke's back every time he heard it but that feeling had long passed. He was accustomed to the eerie chuckle and instead of cringing he stared at the man before him, narrowing his onyx eyes the slightest bit. He didn't understand why the Sannin chose that moment to laugh and confusion was not a comfortable feeling for him. As he attempted to figure out what was happening, Sasuke was painfully reminded of the girl whose life he had irrationally spared. There was too much confusion going on, so he threw her from his mind for the time being and focused on the issue at hand.

"Sasuke-kun," the man's whisper of a voice rumbled, sounding ten times louder than what it should, "Konoha is your past. This is your present… This is your future. You wish to let go of all ties to that place, that place that failed you. And yet,"—his voice turned calculating—"you couldn't kill the girl. I can see it in your eyes."

Before Orochimaru could utter another word, Sasuke's hands were positioned in front of his chest, fingers poised. He whispered under his breath, the jutsu ready to take over. It happened in the time span of one breath, but the snake ninja was still too fast. The Sharingan flashed, wasted, just as Sasuke felt a cold arm snake its way around his neck.

"Why do you keep trying?" the familiar hiss of Orochimaru's voice slithered in his ear. Sasuke twisted, wrenching himself from his sensei's grasp. Without a look back, he walked to the door, leaving the room before either his teacher or Kabuto could say anything else.

Once the door was shut Sasuke forced himself to keep calm. Out in the deserted hall there no one to pretend for anymore. No one but himself, that is. He listened to the sound of his footfall, concentrated on his steps and the path he was taking. One foot in front of the other… Head up and forward… Right…. Right… Left… Right… One. Two. Three. By the time he reached it, his eyes, once red from anger and hatred, had returned to black veils.

He counted doors, coming to his, and pulled it open. Inside was a bleak, cold room. matching his expression and fitting his personality. It was a square room with gray, stone walls, just like the rest of the underground hideout. A slightly raised bed on the far wall was its only furnishing. Dark blue and gray blankets along with a white pillow were slung across the thin mattress, just as he left them. One, unlit torch hung on the wall. Taken as a whole, the room was nothing short of cold and lonely, not unlike its occupant's personality.

Sasuke closed the door, darkness swallowing the room, and crawled onto the bed without even bothering to take his clothes off or pull the blankets over him. He took the katana from his back and dropped it to the floor. He laid on his side, back to the door, and closed his eyes. It was only the middle of the afternoon and he was already prepared to sleep.

Sleep usually came easily to Sasuke. Even when it didn't he found comfort in the quiet blackness of his room. He could lay there for hours, unbothered, mind blank as he stared at either the nothingness in front of him or the backs of his eyelids. At that moment, however, something over took him that allowed him neither sleep nor rest in his solitude.

Orochimaru's words replayed themselves in his memory. _"You wish to let go of all ties to that place, that place that failed you. And yet you couldn't kill the girl. I can see it in your eyes,"_ the phantom voice spoke within his head. Sasuke left before anything else could be said, but the unspoken words he left behind crawled from the depths of his mind and wormed their way to the surface.

_You know what that means, Sasuke-kun? It means you are weak. It means that, however much you refuse to admit it, you are still clinging to your home. You refuse to let go. Let go, Sasuke-kun, or you will never find the power you've been seeking._

The voice was as clear as if Orochimaru's were in the room speaking at that very instant.

Sasuke cursed himself. What the hell was he thinking? There was absolutely no rational reason as to why that girl was still alive. She should have died in the heat of the desert or by his blade the first… the second… the third time, damn it! How did her chances even make it to round three? She hadn't said a single word and yet she infuriated him to no end. It was all so absurd!

Thinking of her wide, marble eyes, an idea crash landed in Sasuke's mind meteor. What if the thoughts lurking in the corners of his mind were true? What if, by some unexplainable reason, he had subconsciously searched for ties to his home all along? Maybe this girl was what that part of him, that infinitesimal part of him that was still frightened to be there, had been waiting for. Maybe all he needed was something to comfort him with the pure knowledge that Konoha was real, was more than just a figment of his imagination or a whisper of his past life.

No. Never. Lies, lies, lies.

Sasuke stirred. He felt restless. As he attempted to lay still and push everything from his thoughts, he found that the dreaded idea had wedged itself into his brain and would not leave him alone. The more it nagged at him, the more he considered it. The more he considered it, the more edgy he became. Finally he could bear it no more. He needed to move, do something, anything. The boy swung his feet off the edge of the bed, stood slowly, picking up his katana in the process, and made his way back out the door. There would be no rest for Sasuke until he could think of something else.

* * *

The door closed in Hinata's face. She flinched as it slammed shut, locking in place. Her white-purple eyes stared at for a moment longer, as if longing for it to open back up. When that didn't happen, she admitted defeat. She thought about trying a couple choice words, but decided, "Open Sesame," probably wouldn't work here in Orochimaru's wonderland. Instead she turned to take in her surroundings.

The first thing she noticed was that all the light in the room came from a single torch hanging over a small desk on the far wall. There were no windows, but this was to be expected, seeing as they were underground and all. She was grateful there was any light at all. Besides, if you ignored the way the flames flickered on the stone walls and barely reached all corners of the room, the orange glow cast by the torch almost seemed inviting.

The second thing she noticed was the scarcity of furnishings. But what else should she expect considering what she had seen of the rest of the… Building? No, that wasn't quite the word she wanted. The word "prison" jumped into her head, but she shooed it away, knowing she would only make herself more miserable if she told herself she was living in a prison. No… It was a lair. That's the best word she could think of to describe it, a lair. "Hideout" would have worked, too, but it sounded like she was five again, throwing blankets over tables and hiding under them.

Hinata went back to surveying the room. It was very square and dull, definitely cold except for the friendly glow of fire. Maybe she could ask for a few more torches to be delivered to her room, along with a chocolate for her pillow.

From where she stood the little desk and torch were across from her. To her left, against the wall, was a slightly raised bed with bland sheets, but it looked comfortable enough. On the right wall there was a short hall, just bigger than a door's width, with an opening to the right which she assumed led to a bathroom.

Hesitantly she made her way over to the little bed, finding the mattress slightly harder than she had imagined. Hinata pulled herself into the corner and hugged her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. Her eyelids felt heavy but she didn't dare to shut her eyes. When she was little, Hinata was afraid of monsters under the bed and in the closet. Her mother soothed her every night and eventually the fear subsided. Looking around her new room, however, Hinata found that fear rising in her stomach for the first time since she was little. The only problem was that this time the monsters were real.

It was all turning out lovely. She ran away from home on impulse, the plan premeditated without having actually planned anything, and now she had nothing. On top of that the place she ended up was the lair a man who took innocent lives all the time and preformed sick experiments on people to make himself stronger. Not only that but the one and only Uchiha Sasuke, the revenge-driven, power hungry boy who had run away to come here on purpose so that, in the future, he would be able to kill his brother, was her captor. Her life was in his hands. He could take it from her at any moment and wasn't about to let her forget that. What a wonderful place to end up.

From the moment she entered the room her thoughts had oozed sarcasm. Looking around the dreary space Hinata realized solemnly that no amount of cynicism or irony could save her from the situation she now found herself in. She truly dreaded the thought of even stepping foot in there, let along being captive, and yet something tugged at her brain.

Had she meant to end up there?

Her immediate response was, "No." It came out as a reflex.

Wait…

Hinata thought about it, pushing her immediate response aside. She had followed the healing ruins of battles her comrades fought when they searched for Sasuke. She had considered and calculated places where someone like Orochimaru would hide. She ran, tired and malnourished, until she felt like she was where someone else had ended up.

Had she meant to end up there?

Yes.

But had she wanted… this?

No. But honestly, what did she expect? Tea and cookies? She meant to end up where Sasuke and Orochimaru were. Why? Because that was the ultimate symbol of treachery in the eyes of Konoha. Still, she didn't actually intended to _stay_ with them. Hinata thought that before she left, a change had come over her. She thought she was different. But what had she been thinking? Looking at the situation in context, she was really nothing more than a silly, naïve, little girl… Just like everyone always said. She meant to prove them wrong, but just look at the decisions she made. Look at where they got her… Just another place full of people she wanted to escape.

As Hinata contemplated this thought, she lifted her head to look calmly across the room. Someone was unlatching the door.


	4. Beginning

**Your Guardian Angel  
**Chapter 4: Beginning  
_"No, I will be the pattern of patience; I will say nothing" - William Shakespeare_

* * *

Sasuke made sure his face was a cold mask as he threw open the door to his prisoner's room. He burst in rudely, not bothering to knock before entering, as seemed to be his custom. He held himself in a way that would suggest he owned the place. Behind him the door bounced so hard off the wall that it slammed shut of its own accord.

Sasuke's eyes scanned the room, unable to locate the girl at first. For the briefest moment he thought she may have escaped. The only thing that prevented him from throwing a tantrum on the spot was that he spotted her out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face her completely (and to make sure she wasn't just a figment of his imagination). By observation he ascertained that the girl was indeed real. This meant two things; 1. She had not escaped and 2. He now had to figure out what to do with her. Sasuke's hands twisted into clenched fists at his sides. His eyes bore into hers, waiting for something, anything, but in return he only received the blank stare of her marble eyes.

The girl was sitting on the bed in the far corner, hugging her knees to her chest with slender arms, fingers interlocked. Her skin was sticky with sweat and red from exposure to the sun. Her midnight-blue hair stuck to her face and shoulders, her bangs clung to her forehead, but she didn't bother or fidget with it in the slightest.

Sasuke remembered one of the first thoughts he'd had about her just half-an-hour before while she was lying out in the sun. He recalled how her bangs gently brushed the tops of her thick eyelashes, how they seemed to suggest she had wide eyes, like those of a child. Sasuke saw now half of his assumption was correct. Her eyes were wide, but they weren't childish. There would be something in them had they been child-like… Some brightness or awareness. Some…

Fear. There would be fear. If her eyes sparkled with fright, even the slightest bit, Sasuke could have handled her. But instead there was just… nothing. Sasuke began to wonder if she was even human.

What had the prodigy gone to her room for? Was he looking for something? What did he expect? There she was, right before him. She was the exact same as when he left her minus her location in the room. Nothing had changed in thirty minutes; she was still blank, still silent, still irking him to no end. What was he looking for in this girl? Why was he looking for anything at all? He had everything he wanted already, right?

Sasuke closed his eyes and thought he should say something, but what? He didn't know why he was there himself, to be honest, so he certainly wasn't about to try and explain himself. She wasn't worth an explanation anyway. Maybe he should have asked a question, but what was there to know? Anything she said would just remind him of his past.

Looking at the girl before him Sasuke decided to take inventory of the situation by creating a mental list of things that had happened in the last forty-five minutes. First, Sasuke had found a girl passed out in the desert. He took her to the most feared man in the ninja world and was ordered him to kill her, but didn't. He then locked her in a room and threatened her to make her believe he would take her life at any moment. After locking her in there and suddenly came back, burst through the door, and now he was just standing there, looking at her. Sasuke, though he would never say so aloud, had to admit that that was quite a list. It was nothing compared to the full list of things he'd done in his life, but even still he couldn't just suddenly smile and ask her how everyone was doing back at home. Not that he would ever smile or ask about anyone in that damn place anyway.

Sasuke realized he hadn't been in such a predicament over what to do since Orochimaru had asked him to leave Konoha. Finally he decided on something to help break the silence. "Tell me your name." An order. Sasuke had never been good at asking questions.

* * *

The boy holding her hostage burst in, the door swinging wildly behind him. Really, hadn't he ever heard of knocking? Hinata watched him survey the room before his eyes fell on her. He paused for the length of a breath before turning his body to face her. Hinata looked back at him, his eyes still bright with anger.

The Hyuuga girl knew she wasn't intended to see fervor in his expression. It was Uchiha Sasuke, the mysterious one. Hinata knew he was trying to hide his feeling but she could see right through him. Being quiet and shy had its advantages, one of them being that she could observe people from the sidelines and most of the time they wouldn't even acknowledge her. She'd paid close enough attention to people to know when they were faking, so his little act didn't work on her.. Knowing she wasn't meant to see it, she kept her own expression blank and acted like his face was as well masked as she supposed he thought it was. Hinata could tell her own impassive stare angered him even more, but ignored it.

For what seemed an immeasurable moment, they simply stared at each other. She wondered what he was doing in her room. It hadn't been so long since he had locked her in there. What did he want from her now? Had he finally decided to kill her? She could only wonder…

"Tell me your name," his baritone voice demanded of her.

Hinata narrowed her eyes an imperceptible amount, studying him closer, but didn't answer. She had seen him from afar during their days at the academy but now she was able to survey him up close. Honestly the two had never been closer than 10 feet apart, sitting in their chairs at the academy. And even if they had ever gotten closer than that, or spoke to each other, even, he had left two years ago. It was no wonder he didn't recognize her.

Being so close at that moment, though, she took a moment to really look at him. She tried to see him through the other girls' eyes, tried to see what Sakura and Ino saw, tried to understand why they liked him so much. Her eyes ran over the hard lines of his cheekbones, the sharp curve of his chin, the broad build of his arms and shoulders. The marble-eyed girl examined the proportions of his well-built body before returning her gaze to his face. She looked at his skin, darkened by the sun she assumed, yet somehow still pale from spending so much time in this lair, as if he tanned but the darkness kept the usual warm glow from showing through. His eyes were dark, cold, and black, bottomless and intense. His spiky, raven hair fell around his face and his lips formed a tight line. Each feature was like a puzzle piece, unique in it's own, but as a whole it went together well.

She imagined his face a little softer, without so much anger and pain… Then she could almost imagine what Sakura must have seen. But it didn't matter. The boy before her now… She couldn't imagine anyone loving him.

* * *

She didn't answer. Her eyes moved slowly, seeming to study him. He watched her face. His eyebrows twitched, aching to furrow together in confusion, but he refused to let them do so. Sasuke found himself wondering what she was seeing, what she was thinking. He wanted a look into her mind. Why wasn't she running, screaming, crying? Maybe if she had trembled, shied away, he could have killed her… Was that cowardly of him? Did the fact that he was only willing to kill people who feared him make him weak?

No, he told himself. He simply liked to feel in control and the fear in a victim's eyes gave him that power, that self-appointed supremacy that he so desired. Every fiber in his being seemed to hunger for that feeling of superiority, a feeling he had only come to know within the confines of the hell hole he lived in. This girl denied him what he believed was his right. She was defying him and he refused to be spoken, or in this case acted, against.

So the question remained: What was he going to do with her?

"Tell me your name," he demanded again, his voice fiercer this time but still unnaturally calm and deep. He took a step towards the bed, hoping to stir her, get some reaction; still there was nothing but her empty stare. The girl's mouth fell open half-an-inch, as if she were going to speak; she relaxed her grip on her legs and lowered them in front of her body, crossing them and folding her hands in her lap. He found himself staring at her lips as if his eyes were begging for sound to come out of them. He saw her chest rise and fall with one breath, and another, but no sound escaped her lips.

Then her head slowly moved from one side to the other in her answer.

* * *

"Tell me your name." He took a step towards her but she remained immune to orders and movement. Hinata opened her mouth, ready to form words, but what would she say? There was nothing for him to know. Slowly, as if any sudden movements would signal his blade, she let go of her legs, unclasped her hands. Her body relaxed, her legs crossed, and her hands folded in her lap.

The girl with midnight hair saw Sasuke's eyes watch her lips and chest as she sat there, feeling somewhat exposed now that she no longer hugged her legs to her chest; her baggy jacket hung open revealing the fishnet and tank she wore under it; her hair stuck to her skin, hot and sticky with perspiration. What a mess! Suddenly she wished that she had not released her grip, that she had held herself there. But she couldn't move now. That would shut her off from him again and make her a coward.

Hinata, at a loss for what to do, continued to observe and found herself fixated with the boy before her. His build, his eyes, his disposition, every little detail became extremely clear under her scrutinizing gaze. It was as if time had momentarily frozen them both into silence allowing her to watch every involuntary twitch of his brow, his lips, his fingers. Sasuke, she had to admit, was quite handsome even if he was a traitorous, revenge-driven, murderer. Hinata found herself feeling that her looks paled in comparison to his, a physical insecurity creeping up on her. She was, after all, only a 15-year-old girl. And yet the realization that Sasuke expected an answer from her overshadowed the insecurity in an instant.

What had he asked again? Wait… It wasn't really a question at all. He told her to tell him her name. Hinata almost laughed. One of the main reasons she had run away in the first place was to escape commands, pressures, force. Still she found herself confronted with those exact things at that very moment. Well, if Sasuke thought she was going to kneel at his feet and answer his beck-and-call, he had another thing coming. Back in Konoha she had defied people much older and of much higher status. She was hardly going to let herself be bullied by someone barely older than her with no rank to his name just because he had a sword strapped to his back.

Hinata was ready to accept her death not too long before and nothing had changed since then. Sasuke didn't scare her. So, with a daring shake of her head, she gave him his answer. Needless to say, it was not the one he was looking for.

As she shook her head "no," Hinata looked closely into Sasuke's eyes. Neither one turned away. Their staring match spanned the course of several heartbeats, yet it felt like hours. At last she blinked and dropped her eyes towards her lap. She won and they both knew it. Hinata couldn't help but allow her lips to curl into a smirk. It was a good idea to look away from his face for the girl was positive that if she did she may have simply laughed.

The shake of her head had been a test and now Hinata knew: his patience, which was thin to begin with, wore even thinner with each passing moment they spent together. Not only had it been a test to judge her effect on him, it was also a experiment to see where she stood. Sasuke's reaction to her defiance was to not react at all. He hadn't even drawn his sword. This simple restraint assured Hinata of one thing: He would not kill her. Sure, Sasuke could threaten her all he wanted, pretend to dangle her life in the balance, but underneath? She knew he wouldn't (or couldn't) kill her, a fact Hinata wasn't even sure he knew himself.

Looking back up at her captor she realized what kind of power that knowledge could give her. It's easy to know someone better than they know themselves when they've spent years denying all natural wants and instincts and you've spent that same time understanding people. With that in mind, Hinata couldn't help but look at Sasuke and smirk a little wider.

_Let the games begin._

* * *

No? No? What did she mean, "No,"? Who was this girl and how did she dare to tell him no? Then, just to rub it in, she looked away and smirked. She actually smirked at him! That little… Looking at him as if she knew something he didn't. Like she won. Ha!

Sasuke felt anger bubble within him, but it was more than that. It wasn't just anger. It was pure, barely controllable rage. He wanted to rip her to shreds, shed her blood across her sheets, stain the room with the stamp of her death. Yet, even with the rage boiling in his blood, something held him back. He'd killed dozens of people before without a second thought, so what made this girl so special? There was nothing familiar about this girl, not even the symbol on her neck, which had been infused in him what seemed so long ago.

Unable to take it any longer, Sasuke turned his back on her, hands clenched at his sides. He flexed his fingers in an attempt relax. "Now," his deep voice rang through the cold room. The prodigy felt his hostage rise from the bed behind him, barely making a noise except for the soft pad of her feet as they hit the floor. He opened the door, walking out without making sure she followed. He knew she would, though, and he was correct. Something told him she would follow if he asked, even if she refused to give her name.

Walking down the dark hall Sasuke wondered if the his little tagalong knew what they were headed for. With a smirk of his own a thought echoed through his head.

_Let the games begin._


	5. Spar

**Your Guardian Angel  
**Chapter 5: Spar  
_"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will" - Mahatma Gandhi_

* * *

Hinata watched Sasuke's back as they passed by door after door. Everything was so similar déjà vu swept through her with every other step. She wondered how in the world he knew where to go, but remembered that guests always gotten lost in the Hyuuga mansion at first, too. Perhaps it was just a matter of living in one place for so long that you knew all its in and outs. Besides, asking Sasuke about it would probably shock him and, with her luck, trigger his sword-swinging reflex. Her life had already been spared several times that day. She wasn't going to risk being killed by accident now.

Sasuke came to a stop so suddenly Hinata almost bumped into him, her nose just inches away from his shoulder blade. Startled, the girl took a few steps backwarks. Peeking around Sasuke, she saw that they had stopped in front of a door. There was nothing special about it; it looked just like the rest. For a moment Hinata wondered what was behind it, but it looked like she was about to find out anyway. As Saskue reached for the handle, an overwhelming case of nerves suddenly shook through her body. The last time she followed him into a room she came face-to-face with one of the most wanted shinobis in the world. All of these doors looked alike, and after listening to Orochimaru earlier, she decided exploring would not be on her agenda any time soon.

Hinata tried not to cringe as the door swung open. Sasuke plunged into the room, the darkness swallowing him after only a few feet. Hinata hesitated for less than a second, then walked forward through the black hole. The door closed behind her of its own accord, slamming shut with a crash.

When the door latched into place, the sound ringing ominously through the room and reverberating off the stone, she couldn't help but imagine the walls closing in on her. She waited for something, anything to happen, but for several long seconds she was completely lost, not even able to see herself in the darkness of the room. Then, from across the abyss, she heard a snap. One at a time the torches lining the walls lit up with flames.

Hinata held her head up, facing forward to find Sasuke standing just a few feet in front of her. "Spar." The deep voice echoed through the room like the click of the latch. The girl stared at her captor and wondered for a moment if he was being serious. The look in Sasuke's eyes told her he wasn't one to joke.

Realizing there was no way out, Hinata slid her jacket off her shoulders and threw it to the side. Underneath the jacket she wore a dark tank and fishnet, both of which clung to her skin, now dark from dirt, sweat, and sand. With a deep breath of resignation, Hinata took her stance. She stood with her feet apart, toes pointed out. One arm stretched in front of her body, palm forward toward her opponent, while the other spread palm-open in front of her chest, close to her body.

As she took position, Hinata kept eye contact with the boy. She trained hard in the few months before leaving Konoha, but the nerves and fatigue that settled into her body now seemed to create a mental wall. Through the fog of her brain, however, she did remember one key concept. It wasn't on she learned in training, but one she learned watching her uncle teach Neji to play ball when they were younger: Never take your eye off the ball.

* * *

Sasuke blinked against the sudden light but quickly recovered only to find that the girl had not taken more than two steps inside from the door. He watched as the firelight that filled the space flickered and winked at him through her pearly eyes. He made up his mind back in her bedroom that they he was going to see what she was made of. Now it was time to put her to the test.

"Spar," he ordered authoritatively.

Without question, his opponent took her baggy jacket in one hand and shrugged the garment off, throwing it on the ground. With the jacket out of the way Sasuke could see the dark, sleeveless shirt and fishnet tee that she wore under it. The cloth and netting both seemed to cling to what he could now see was a very well formed body.

Sasuke, however, did not allow his onyx eyes linger for long. He scanned her waist and chest quickly, bringing his eyes back up on level with hers and nearly smirked. He hoped she wasn't nearly as soft as she looked. She slid into her stance. The intensity that flowed between them sharpened with every second. This, Sasuke thought, would be simple. His opponent looked like a life-sized porcelain doll, for heaven's sake. And, as everyone knows, porcelain is far too easily broken.

* * *

Hinata honed in on Sasuke, remembering to keep her eye on him. Then, in the blink of an eye, he vanished, hidden between the walls and flames. Already failing with only rule she remembered, the girl tried desperately to dredge up her training lessons, her spars with Neji and Hanabi in more recent months, spars in which she actually began to gain the upper hand. And yet that didn't seem quite right…

A light bulb went off: The fighting style she used with Neji and Hanabi was not the one she needed to win this spar. No… She thought of training with her teammates. They would hide, unseen in the forest shadows, and she would protect herself from their surprise attacks. The original rule came back to her: Always keep your eye on the ball.

She could do that.

"Byakugan." The whispered word was a roar in the silence. The veins around her pale eyes rose. He had to be in the room, she just needed to know where. Hinata concentrated and searched the area around her, finding him almost immediately and without a second to spare.

His disappearing act lasted for little under two seconds, but that was enough for him to activate the Sharingan and prepare to attack from behind. Hinata struggled to hide her shock and, using her bloodline to watch his attack, she ducked faster than anyone would have thought possible. When his fist didn't collide with her face, Hinata sent a silent prayer to whatever god was listening, remembering Neji in practice just months earlier. _"I'll swing, you dodge. It's that simple. Dodging takes less effort that attacking. If you can dodge for long periods of time, well… Sometimes that's enough."_

No matter how elite her dodging skills were, however, Sasuke was fast… very fast. When his first shot missed, Sasuke redirected his momentum quickly, ready to throw another blow. Hinata sensed his attack so quickly that she was able to dodge it again, but just barely. His hand, directed at her back less than a second before, flew over her head. The force of his momentum this time pulled him forward a step.

One simple phrase of Neji's flew in and lodged itself in the Hyuuga girl's head: _"It takes twice as much energy to swing and miss than to swing and hit."_ With that in mind Hinata pumped chakra to her hands and fixed them to the cold floor. She was going to take advantage of her opponents one-second-stumble because in a spar, that was all she needed.

* * *

Sasuke jumped, activating his Sharingan as he did so. He hoped to catch her off guard and take her down in mere seconds. It took him two seconds to jump into position right behind her. A whisper filled the room as he moved, but he paid to no mind. Now behind her, the boy saw her still looking at the spot where he disappeared, giving Sasuke a clear shot of the back of her head. He couldn't help but think the spar would be over sooner than he ever dreamed and a pang of disappointment washed over him, wishing she would have at least put up some sort of fight. Oh well.

Sasuke trained his red eyes on his opponent's back and pulled his open-palmed hand to his side, readying it for a hit. One simple blow to the back of her head and she would be down. He thrust his hand forward, prepared for the impact and the sound of her body crumbling to the floor. To his surprise his hand made no contact and instead flew over the top of her head.

How in the world had she dodged the attack without even turning around? He hadn't made a sound and yet she somehow saw his attack coming. He wondered but didn't have much time to think. Tossing his momentum to the other side Sasuke threw another punch in his opponents direction, but again she dodged it. The momemtum of his punch this time pulled his body forward, taking him off-guard for the slightest instant. Maybe this girl had more to offer than her rounded edges let on.

In the split second it took for Sasuke's foot to hit the floor and for his hand to return to his side, his opponent prepared an attack. Her hands glowed white-blue as she secured herself to the floor and one foot swung around her body, ready to make contact with Sasuke's ankles. The boy was so surprised by her sudden movements he almost didn't jump in time. The nameless girl's foot, meant to make a complete blow at his lower legs, barely touched the bottom of his sandals as he leapt into the air to avoid the attack.

His body hit the ceiling and rebounded back towards the floor where his opponent, midnight hair flailing around her with the momentum of her motions, remained glued to the ground. He aimed a kick at her lower back, just above her hipbone. Then his foot hit hard.

* * *

Hinata watched carefully through her Byakugan as the infamous Uchiha jumped, managing to dodge blow she aimed at his ankles. Instead the toe of her shoe barely scratched the base of his. What had she honestly expected, though? It was Uchiha Sasuke, after all. His chakra networks were strong and easily detectable in the minimum confines of the torch-lit room. He jumped high above her and hit the ceiling for a brief second before rebounding and aiming a foot right at her back. Her hands were still stuck to the ground.

Without second thought Hinata released the chakra in a sudden impulse that pushed her from the spot and sent her body sliding across the floor, her sandals dragging on the concrete. His foot had been inches away from hitting its mark when she freed her hands. As Hinata braced herself against the stone wall that she had slid into, a rumble echoed through the room. She looked up to see Sasuke's red eyes glaring in the firelight, his foot lost in shattered concrete break. She winced unconsciously, thinking of the pain that he must be feeling.

But the fight wasn't over yet. She couldn't be distracted and she couldn't look him in the eyes.

Hinata regained her composure and pushed off the wall, headed towards the boy. She took advantage of his immobility, his foot lodged into the stone. Her body fell low to the floor as her hands scraped the ground, her right leg swinging around. Impact. Into the crook of his knee her foot hooked itself and his leg bent down, pulling him backwards. The Hyuuga girl changed the direction of her body's swing and used the lock between her opponent's knee and her own ankle to shift so she was coming at him from the front now, head on. The other foot collided with the kneecap of the Uchiha's free leg, bending it in the wrong direction. Her right foot untangled itself and Hinata stepped on his chest, ready to bring her other foot around to his head and her fist to his chest. Two simple blows…

* * *

Damn it! How the hell did she move so quickly? No one he spared with had ever been able to dodge his attacks on such short notice except Orochimaru, and the sannin was an expert. So what made this girl so special? Pain shot up Sasuke's leg as his foot crashed into the concrete. He tried to dislodge it, but with no such luck. Before the Uchiha could send chakra to it in order to pull it out, he was falling backwards, another point of pain intensified at the back of his knee, then another on his opposite kneecap, bending his right leg the wrong direction. The slight pressure in the crook of his left leg released, but the pain remained, and then deepened as another blow hit his chest. The girl had successfully managed to get the prodigy basically immobile by taking out his knees and then walking up his chest. He could only guess her next move; a blow to the head. He had about a second to go through his options.

Option one was use his Sharingan. He hadn't expected to have to use it in this small spar, but she was tougher than he expected. Unfortunately, that was out. Somehow the girl knew to avoid his eyes, and she wasn't wavering in the slightest. Her eyes stayed fixed on her feet, watching her own motions.

Option two was use a technique. His hands were still free, even it if hurt to move due to the pressure being inflicted upon his chest. There was no time to gather enough chakra for a Chidori, and a fireball jutsu would burn her to a crisp, but then what? Wait… Wasn't that the point of a fireball jutsu?

Option three… There was no time for option three. He pulled his hands together, ready to yell. Then her foot came in contact with the side of his head.

Sasuke held back the yelp of pain. His arms, which had been coming together to form a seal, caught the back of her legs and flipped her backwards off of his chest. In one swift motion he focused chakra into his lodged foot and pulled it out, the concrete rumbling as he did so, a few stray pieces flying into the air.

* * *

Hinata watched as decision flashed across Uchiha's face. She saw it through the way his lips curled and twitched, but dared not look at his eyes. That would be her end. Just as his lips set in a verdict, her foot collided with the side of the boy's head. Just as suddenly his hands were at her calves, flipping her backwards off of him. She reached her arms out, ready to land on them. It had turned into a simple back flip. Her fingertips were inches from the ground when pressure hit her middle back. The girl was sent flying against the far wall, her body limp and still upside down.

Hinata hit the unforgiving stone, unable to brace herself. She fell to the ground, her head cracking against the unquestionable solid floor. Small bits of broken, gray, stone hit her face as she fell to the ground, heels-over-head. The blow to her head knocked the wind out of her, causing her body to fall stationary. Within a breath cold steel was against her neck and Sasuke, her opponent, was standing over her. She closed her eyes, afraid that although the match was over he still might activate a technique.

She waited for a moment until the katana was removed from her neck. A quick, risky glace showed the glare of red still radiating from Sasuke's eyes. Her eyes switched to his mouth where a slight smirk twitched at the corners of his lips. It quickly faded, though, as a clapping sound echoed through the room and a silky hiss addressed them. "Very well done. I'm impressed."


	6. Order

**Your Guardian Angel  
**Chapter 6: Order  
_"Keep in mind that letting go isn't the end of the world, it's the beginning of a new life" - Anonymous_

* * *

From her position on the floor Hinata looked to the doorway. It was closed, and yet Orochimaru stood in front of it, having slipped through in the heat of their spar so neither opponent noticed. His purely slippery nature, truly like that of a snake, sent a slight shiver up her spine. Sasuke turned to face the sannin, his back to Hinata now. Without a sound, the girl pushed herself up from the ground to stand slightly behind the boy, but still in full view of Orochimaru.

Slow, slithery steps carried the pale man across the room to his apprentice and the Hyuuga girl. Hinata bit her bottom lip. Just being around the man made her uneasy, though she tried to keep the fear from showing in her eyes. Just several steps away from the pair, Orochimaru stopped and licked his lips, arms hanging limply at his sides. Sasuke stared at him, trusty katana by his side. Hinata's eyes would not remain fixed in one place. Despite her efforts they flickered from the back of the Uchiha's head to Orochimaru's golden-gray eyes.

"Very impressive…" the sannin repeated, fixing his eyes on Hinata and looking her up and down once, smirking his slimy smile. "I honestly thought you had him beat there for a moment, my dear." Sasuke's fists clenched almost imperceptibly at the comment. Otherwise there was no noticeable reaction. Nonetheless, the subtle movement didn't go ignored by either Orochimaru or Hinata. "She could be a great asset to us, don't you think Sasuke-kun?" The man addressed Sasuke, but his eyes did not move from Hinata's. He took another step closer, his collar bone tightening as if his shoulder ached to move, his fingers longing to reach up and absently twirl the girl's midnight-colored hair. Fortunately, he could do no such thing.

From beside her the Uchiha survivor let out a noncommittal grunt. "Ah, Sasuke-kun," the man said the name as if he was talking to a child, "Do not be upset because I am praising someone besides you. When was the last time you had such a unique sparring partner? You should be grateful." Turning to Hinata he added, "I think you will be good for Sasuke-kun, whether he thinks so or not." The sannin licked his lips again. He turned to leave the room but looked back at Sasuke to add a final though. "Keep her, Sasuke-kun. Teach her. She'll learn in time." When the sannin was met only with silence he smirked. "If anything, Sasuke-kun, think of her as a pet." The door closed and Orochimaru the two found themselves alone once again.

* * *

"Hn." That was all he could think to say. This girl wasn't even worth a real word. He couldn't believe Orochimaru wanted him to actually train this girl. She was his responsibility now? How troublesome when he didn't even really want her alive. He turned to look her up and down again, his eyes slowly returning to their onyx shade while he placed his katana back into its sheath.

The girl paid him no attention, her eyes glued to the spot Orochimaru stood moments before. What was Sasuke supposed to do? The snake man had said train her, but he didn't feel like it now. Think of her as a pet? That just gave him a headache. Pets had to be broken. That took time and effort, both assets Sasuke couldn't waste on the likes of her. Plus, his knee was killing him, along with his chest and the side of his head. Basically anywhere her feet came in contact with his body was sore. Unfortunately, tending to his wounds would have to wait while he decided what to do with such a nuisance.

Sasuke studied the girl intensely, starting at her feet and working his way up. Plain, black sandals adorned small feet. Black Capri pants stopped just below her knees, leaving her ankles exposed. Further up they hugged her thighs. What looked like a bandage wrapped around her upper, right thigh and secured a small pouch he assumed carried the girl's kunai and shuriken. A dark blue tank top met her pants at her hips. The netting that covered her arms and chest started at her thin waist, not quite as long as the tank. He averted his eyes from her chest, moving to shoulders and arms. They were narrow, but strong. Her face was round with slightly pink cheeks, flushed from the spar. Her skin, like her cheeks, was tinged pink from exposure to the sun. Underneath, however, Sasuke could see her delicate, porcelain base, contrasting deeply with dark, midnight blue hair.

Nearly finished with his assessment, decided she perhaps wasn't a completely lost case. Her build was healthy, certainly, but almost deceptively feminine. Most other kunoichis were built lean and flat, not healthy and rounded. This quality, though Sasuke would never admit it, made her almost beautiful. Strong and quiet as she was, the beauty was there, nonetheless, even with her empty eyes and impassive features. A face flickered through Sasuke's memory in a flash then left before he could grasp it. The boy mentally shook, reminded himself that in his world, there was no room for beauty. Revenge was bloody, death-ridden and dark. Beauty would only distract from the goal.

Finally, Sasuke's eyes locked with Hinata's and something in him clicked. He had seen those eyes before, but the ones he remembered belonged to a boy, another boy in the academy. He couldn't remember the boy's first name, having attempted to forget everything he could about his former home, but the last name bubbled up from the depths of his repressed memories: Hyuuga. He knew now how she was able to detect his moves: a Kekkei Genkai that allowed her to see nearly three hundred and sixty degrees around her.

The Uchiha berated himself for taking so long to remember. What kept the name buried in him when he looked at her the first few times? Maybe it was the fact that they were so cold, so unfeeling, so like his own eyes… perhaps his focus on the lack of emotion prevented him from recognizing their physical nature.

_I haven't had anything to stimulate my brain so much since I left Konoha… I don't even know what my own thoughts mean anymore. What am I going to do with this brat of a girl?_

Confused by his own thoughts, Sasuke blinked once, throwing them aside. He didn't want to think about it anymore.

* * *

Sasuke was looking at her strangely, as if he had never seen a girl before. And maybe he hadn't for a while, at least not one his age, but this was ridiculous. His eyes surveyed her from top to bottom so intensely she thought he might as well be trying to ingrain every aspect of her figure into his brain.

The Hyuuga girl was grateful to note that his eyes didn't linger long on her chest. She had developed earlier than the other girls her age, and had continued to develop even more than most of them. Thus why she always wore baggy clothes: to hide her figure. Other kunoichi were built thin and slight for quick movements, but Hinata was not one of those girls and Sasuke's extreme scrutiny now made her even more aware of her… development. In addition, her baggy jacket, her security blanket, lay on the floor half way across the room, left there from before the spar. Its absence left her feeling uncomfortably exposed. Despite the distressing situation, Hinata attempted to stay focused on his face, grateful that her blushing habit ceased some time ago as Sasuke's eyes reached her own.

"Looks like I have new orders, Hyuuga," Sasuke's deep, indifferent voice rang through the chamber, interrupting the silence. Hinata raised her eyebrows a bit, slightly startled by the use of her last name. In her mind, running away from home cut all her ties with the Hyuuga clan, but, she supposed, that was still her last name. The girl didn't recall telling the raven-haired boy her name, either. Maybe he recognized her… But then why didn't he use her first name?

Suddenly it clicked. Hinata remembered using her Byakugan during their spar. Her technique combined with her unique eye color must have given away the identity of her clan name, but Sasuke still had no clue who she was. He didn't remember her from the academy, from the chunin exams… from anything. Not that she expected him to. She was never superior to anyone, nothing to marvel at or talk about. Maybe it was better that this boy didn't know her name. A fresh start…

Wait. New orders? Hinata remembered Orochimaru's words just before he left the room. "Keep her, Sasuke-kun. Teach her. She'll learn in time." Hinata wondered if he was serious. Sasuke obviously thought so or he wouldn't be mentioning 'new orders.' But what was he going to do? "Teach her," Orochimaru said. Revenge-driven, Uchiha Sasuke-led training wasn't exactly the fresh start she was hoping for.

* * *

"Looks like I have new orders, Hyuuga," Sasuke said, addressing the girl directly. He watched surprise rise and fall on her face. The use of her last name must have taken her off guard. "Tomorrow. Here." Those two words echoed off of the concrete walls.

The Hyuuga girl's mouth opened the slightest amount. For a fraction of a second Sasuke wondered if she would ask a question, or even just say something, but no noise emerged from her lips and he didn't push it. Sasuke turned to face the door. As his tanned fingers turned the knob, he spoke again without facing his new student. "I assume you know which room is yours." With that he opened the door and left, leaving Hinata alone with the torchlight.

* * *

As soon as Sasuke left, the torches' flames flickered out. Hinata took a deep breath and leaned down to grab her jacket from the floor. A beam of light filtering in from the hall streamed across the room and landed on the sleeve, allowing her to find it and the way out easily. The girl with midnight hair tossed her jacket over her arm and closed the door behind her, twisting the knob as she did so, making sure the door made virtually no noise as it clicked back into place.

Her white eyes flitted from left to right, up and down the hall. Sasuke was no where to be seen. The girl berated herself. All she could remember was what direction they came from, but not how many doors they passed or how many turns they had made. She turned left, heading down that hall. That much she knew.

As she searched the halls, she made the first turn, not remembering passing other halls in that passage before arriving at the sparring room. As she turned the corner, door after passageway after door led off of the hall. She couldn't hear a sound to tell her where to go. Then, right in the middle of the floor, Hinata sat down and pulled her knees to her chest, simply watching the firelight of a nearby torch. Not moving at all was better than wandering around aimlessly. Maybe someone would find her there. Hopefully… Eventually… Maybe…

* * *

Sasuke left Hinata knowing she would be unable to find her way back to her own room. He knew it was cruel to make her wander around Orochimaru's hideout without knowing where to go, but words like "nice" and "lenient" never were part of his vocabulary. He took a right out of the room and down several halls until he reached a door. As rude as always, the prodigy knocked once then entered without waiting for a response.

Kabuto sat behind a small desk inside the room. The walls and floor were concrete like everything else, but instead of a bed this room housed a small operating table. A rolling chair, upon which sat the silver-haired man, was placed at the desk. The desktop disappeared, littered with papers and pencils and the odd operating instrument. The man turned when he heard Sasuke enter.

"Orochimaru-sama told me to expect you soon," he said, looking at the raven-haired boy with a slight smirk. Sasuke wasn't surprised that the sannin informed his subordinate about the spar and its results.

"Hn."

Kabuto's smirk widened as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, the lenses flashing in the dim light of the room. He rolled his chair over to the table where Sasuke now perched and started inspecting the boy's slowly swelling knee.


	7. Voices

**Your Guardian Angel  
**Chapter 7: Voices  
_"So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?" - John Lennon_

* * *

_How did I manage that? He was always one of the strongest in class. He must have gone easy on me… I didn't actually hurt him, did I?_

Hinata held on to her jacket as she cradled herself in the middle of the forgotten hall, legs hugged to her chest, forehead resting on her knees. With just the firelight and torches for company, it was difficult to tell how much time had gone by. Not that it mattered. Five minutes or an hour. Either way, the girl simply didn't care. She had bigger things to worry about than time management.

Inside, her mind raced a million miles and hour. It ran around in circles, replaying scenes from the spar to Neji telling her to "keep your eye on the ball" to her last name on Sasuke's lips. Despite the training she experienced with her cousin, nothing could have fully prepared her for such a strong sparring opponent. Just the idea of fighting Sasuke frightened her. Perhaps the adrenaline rush that ensued in those few short moments allowed her to keep up with him as much as she did. Regardless, she knew she wouldn't be able to do it again. If Orochimaru expected that from her every time, he would surely be sorely disappointed.

Then there was the fact that Sasuke knew what family she belonged to. Not that it matter much anymore. Considering she ran away from the clan, Hinata didn't really consider herself a Hyuuga anymore. Come to think of it, Hinata couldn't remember a time when she _did_ consider herself a part of that family. "Heiress" was her birthright, but one she refused, especially if it meant following in Hiashi's footsteps. The word "heiress" to Hinata was just a label, something people born at a certain time were branded with. It was forced upon them before they could decide anything for themselves, just as the Juinjutsu placed on the branch members of her family. Anything, even the life of a rouge ninja, was better than a life that was forced upon her by an unfeeling, tradition-obsessed clan.

Hinata didn't want to think anymore. Thinking about her family was overwhelming. Her white-purple eyes searched the orange glow of the walls for something more than stone and concrete. They searched for something warming, but even the fiery torches seemed to send chills down her spine. Hinata's indigo hair fell around her face and hid it in a curtain of midnight blue while as she moved to lean against a wall. She hummed a familiar tune to herself and was unsurprised when a tear dropped into her lap. Some time later the humming faded and Hinata fell into the dark abyss of sleep.

* * *

Soft curses slipped through Sasuke's lips as he limped down the hallway to his room, a fresh bandage wrapped around his knee. As if getting wounded by a girl from his old village wasn't bad enough, Kabuto had milked the situation for all it was worth while he patched the boy's knee. The prodigy tried to ignore the jabs, but the comments still made his blood boil.

The boy's hands were clenched so tightly at his sides the knuckles turned white. The results of earlier spar had him boiling made. How could he have let his guard down like that? In reality, it was Sasuke's own fault for not recognizing the Hyuuga eyes earlier, but it was easier to be angry with the girl for fighting back than it was to be with himself for being ignorant.

Hyuuga… His nose crinkled at the name, distorting his sharp-featured face. He knew the strength of their clan and the basics of what their eyes allowed them to do. It was said that the Hyuuga clan's power equaled, if not surpassed, that of the Uchiha clan. The raven-haired boy smirked sarcastically, finding that difficult to believe since he wielded a Sharingan of his own. But, he supposed, anything was possible with proper knowledge and training. Not that he'd ever admit it.

In his rushed fury Sasuke almost didn't notice the mass sprawled across the middle of the hall. The boy noticed her just in time, one step away from tripping over her head. He jumped, and pulled out his katana on a reflex.

When the prodigy realized who it was, he immediately put his sword back and released his tense posture. Unrecognizable at first glance, he soon realized it was the Hyuuga girl. She hadn't gotten very far from the sparring room…

It looked like she had fallen asleep against the wall and had sloppily slipped down it in her unconscious state. Her body lay limp and vulnerable, unguarded in the middle of Orochimaru's hideout. _What an idiot._ Her circled her, as he had when she was first found in the desert, and stooped to look down at her.

Despite the goose bumps on the girl's arms, strings of her indigo hair stuck to her forehead with sweat. Her head rested directly on the floor, her cheek pressed against the tiles and her neck bent at an odd angle. Her lips were slightly parted as she breathed through her mouth, barely making a sound.

Sasuke shook his head, not letting his eyes linger long. _How pathetic._ How could she let her guard down so easily? Had she even attempted to get back to her room and simply ended up back here? Or had she simply dropped to the floor as soon as she rounded the corner?

The boy sniffed, deciding the latter of his two assumptions was the correct answer. It was like she had a death wish or something… That or she didn't realize how serious her situation was.

But that couldn't be. Sasuke knew little about the Hyuuga girl, but he had to admit she was smarter than she looked. Maybe she really did have a death wish. That would explain her reaction (or lack-thereof) when Sasuke raised his katana, poised to strike, more than once. Plus, she had run away from Konoha. Who was to say she didn't run with the intention of dying along the way? She probably didn't even expect to make it this far.

Sasuke snorted again. He would just leave her there. She wasn't his problem. Let Orochimaru (or better yet, Kabuto) stumble across her at some point. That would show them how weak and pitiful she really was. The boy turned on his heal to walk away, just when the girl made a noise that caused him to turn back around.

* * *

Something is terribly wrong. The surroundings aren't right. It's too cold here…

Hinata's white-purple eyes searched the dull orange hall. And, though torches lit the walls, the fire had no warming effect. Her body convulsed and fell to the ground as ice seemed to run down her back and through her veins. The torches turned blue, then, one by one, began to retire, leaving her shivering in the darkness.

With the torches and their light gone, the stone hall became impossibly colder. Hinata's teeth chattered together and she could have sworn her skin was turning bluer by the second. Her arms wrapped instinctively around her chest, but to no avail. Still she kept them there. As she did so, Hinata became aware of the fact that she was naked, adding to the number of chills significantly. Then, as her eyes began closing like her body had taken all it could, the strangest thing happened.

It started snowing.

Hinata's shuddering body wouldn't allow her half-lidded eyes to focus, but the small flakes of white fell towards her. Even blurred she knew what they were, and despite the chills running through her, she yearned for them. For a brief second she wondered how she could see them in the utter blackness of the room until she realized that each snowflake was issuing the minutest speck of light.

As they fell from the unseen sky above her, one gently landed on her cheek. Hinata's body braced for the cold as more came, but surprisingly, none did. In fact, the snow seemed to sting. The air around her was so cold she couldn't move, obviously frigid enough to sustain the frozen rain, but as soon as the flakes touched her skin, it seemed to warm her. On top of that, the snow stuck to her skin instead of melting.

More snow fell and began to cover Hinata's entire body. Then, just as suddenly as the white lights had started to fall, they began to burn. Every inch of her body was on fire, every nerve ending screaming bloody murder. The girl's body convulsed again, trembling against the abrupt and intense heat. Her back arched and her voice mimicked her nerves as a shriek of terror escaped her lips.

* * *

Sasuke spun as the girl's body curled in on itself and started shuddering as if in a cold chill. More beads of sweat formed on her flushing forehead and cheeks, strands of hair clinging to her face, as her arms wrapped almost protectively around her own chest. Her breathing turned to shallow gasps and it was almost as if she were having a seizure in her sleep.

For a moment Sasuke stood staring at the body, shell-shocked at what was happening before him. For a brief instant he hesitated and thought about running for Kabuto. Something about the girl simply screamed, "protect me". That second of uncertainty was all it took for him to be down on his knees, hands fluttering inches above the girl's body, trying to find some way to help her. He found nothing and his hands fell limp in his lap.

Sasuke considered for a moment why exactly he was on his knees, feeling helpless as he attempted to heal a girl he supposedly hated. The boy let emotion play over his face for the first time as he thought, knowing there was no one around to see.

As he thought, the girl still trembling before him, a single memory snapped to life: A dark night, a blood-strewn street, a crying child the only survivor, and a single pair of ruby eyes filled with danger and deceit. His body involuntarily winced at the memory and how it repeated itself time and again during the hours of his sleep. He was always alone, screaming, every night. There was no one else to comfort him.

Although he had never considered himself to be quite like anyone else, Sasuke recognized that the human within his revenge-driven soul was the one on his knees, desperately trying to help in any way he could. Though she had spoken not a word, the girl managed to cause him so much pain already. Every natural instinct he'd ever felt told him to get up and walk away. For all he cared the seizing could kill her. But the human in him said stay, take care of her, don't let someone be as alone as you were. As you are. She doesn't have to suffer like you did. Stay.

In that instant, for the first time in a long time, the fifteen-year-old boy with a dark, heartrending past was the one in control instead of the older, revenge-driven man that seemed to dominate his daily life. In a strange way, it felt good to be in control. Sasuke smiled sadly to himself; unfortunate that no one was around to see it.

As the corners of his mouth lifted, the girl's body calmed and stilled. Her chest rose and fell steadily again, and her breathing evened out. The sides of Sasuke were calling to him again, almost like the little cartoon angel versus devil that would sit on the character's shoulders and whisper in his or her ears.

One side, the vengeance-obsessed one, growled, cursing because the Hyuuga brat was still breathing and he would have to deal with her. It was yelling. _GET UP, IDIOT. IS THAT WORRY? ARE YOU ACTUALLY CARING FOR THIS PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING? LEAVE HER TO HERSELF. MAYBE SHE'LL SEIZE AGAIN AND DIE THIS TIME._

Yet the other side, dormant for so long, spoke quietly and reassuringly. It seemed to whisper, rather than yell. _Don't leave her alone. Not all nightmares are forgotten. What will happen when she wakes and realizes she's still lost? You're the one that left her without leading her back… Do you really want someone to be as alone, as hurt as you were? As you still are? Look at her… Don't leave her._

Sasuke took a deep breath as his evil side snarled back. A fight between good and evil ensued inside his head.

_LEAVE HER. SHE DESERVES TO SUFFER. SHE'S WEAK AND YOU KNOW IT. SHE WON'T SURVIVE LONG. IF THE NIGHTMARES DON'T KILL HER, YOU WILL. EVENTUALLY, ANYWAY._

_Who are you to let her endure this pain? You have no clue what's been inflicted upon this poor girl. She's lonely and she's obviously lost everything, too. Maybe the two of you aren't so different._

_SHE'S WEAK. AND THE WEAK DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE. THE WORLD SHOULD BE RID OF ALL THOSE WHO HOLD IT BACK FROM PROGRESSING, AND ANYONE LIKE _HER_ IS OBVIOUSLY ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. GET UP AND WALK AWAY RIGHT NOW. NOW, SASUKE!_

_She's tired and hungry. We know how long it must have taken her to get here. When was the last time you suppose she ate or slept? And then you walk in and order her to fight you when she's clearly so deprived. How do you know she didn't pass out instead of falling asleep? She-_

But before either side could say anymore, the girl's body lashed out, her legs apart, her head back, and her arms spread wide at her sides. If not for the face contorted in pain it would have looked like she was preparing to make a snow angel. Sasuke flinched back from the site of torture etched deeply within the young girl's normally impassive features. His fingers dug into the skin of his knees through his pants as he watched in silent horror.

The twitching started in her fingers. It was very slight, as if she were feeling something. Then it worked its way through her wrists, up her arms to her elbows, to her shoulders, through her neck, down her back, her chest, her waist, her hips, legs, knees, ankles, feet. The shuddering spread quickly, but every advance hit Sasuke as if in slow motion. The trembling overtook her entire body, and she seized violently upon the stone floor, her head pounding against the concrete with every jerk.

He didn't know how long it went on like that, but he did know that it felt like hours that he sat there, helpless and desperate. The only thing he could think to do was put his hands under her head to keep it from cracking on the ground. Then, for one full second, it stopped. Sasuke sighed in relief.

The horror started up as soon as it had stopped, though, and this time it made the boy jump, his hands dropping her head suddenly. Sasuke crawled away from the girl, but kept her in his sight. Her body arched up, her shoulders and the heels of her feet supporting her as her hips, stomach, and chest rose into the air. Her mouth opened and the sound of death met his ears.

The girl was screaming as if a thousand needles were stabbing her all at once. A vague memory surfaced and Sasuke realized he knew dimly what that felt like. But the sound she made now meant that the pain was a hundred times worse than that. She must have been dying. There was no other excuse for the cry. She was dying, and he couldn't help her.

Yet again, the boy felt vulnerable in his moment of ignorance, and it hurt to watch her suffer. He buried his head in his hands, unable to watch, until the scream stopped and he looked up slowly, to see if she was still alive.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey! Here it is. I'm keeping this short and sweet. Hope you like it! Enjoy and let me know what you think, okay? Okay! Toodles!

-Kinsey

* * *

**Your Guardian Angel**

_"Those who hate most fervently must have once loved deeply; those who want to deny the world must have once embraced what they now set on fire" -- Kurt Tucholsky_

Chapter 8

The pain stopped, but Hinata's body felt unstable, like her bones had melted. Not that she would know what that felt like, but if it had ever happened, she could imagine. Her eyelids felt heavy in her head, like lead, and it took her a moment to be able to open them. When she did the wave of panic struck. Her legs and arms, spread out at her sides, wouldn't move as they still felt like jelly. Gray stone stared back at her and an orange glare, definitely flickering fire, reflected back in her eyes. It seemed she was lying on concrete, too, and a pain was starting to radiate throughout her body, starting in her lower back. The feeling of waking up in an unfamiliar place washed over her, making her sit bolt upright despite her unstable state.

Hinata's back was to the wall. She looked from side to side, expecting the feeling to go away in a few seconds as it usually did. When it didn't, however, tears started rolling down her cheeks.

Where in the world am I? How did I get here?

A shadow in her peripheral vision shifted, causing Hinata to take a sharp intake of breath and scoot back, pushing herself against the wall with her hands. More pain shot through her limbs at the sudden movement, making her flinch; yet she kept backing up. Her slim shoulders hit first and the girl stopped, pulling her knees to her chest. Carefully she slipped one hand to the pouch around her upper thigh, silently retrieving a kunai and preparing to throw it.

"Byakugan." The whisper barely sounded in the hall and fell deaf before it reached the other person.

Hinata watched hesitantly through teary eyes, the other person's chakra channels clear in the dark hall, as the shadow stood. Once at its full height, a flame brought the features to life. The girl's immediate reaction was to toss her kunai, aiming for a direct hit to the person's head. As that was her initial reaction, she followed it. A hand flew up in less than a second, stopping the weapon dead in its tracks, just in front of his nose. Hinata shuffled back a little further, cowering away, while the figure stepped closer.

Recognition flashed across the teen girl's face, the shadow's features clicking together and making a connection in her mind as the girl remembered where she was. Without a second thought her instincts took over and she stood, forgetting her legs were currently made of jelly. Hinata's limbs gave way underneath her, sending her falling forward into Sasuke. Her arms reached around his neck and shoulders to support herself as she buried her face into his chest. Strangled sobs started to escape her lips as her shoulders heaved, her body pressed gently to the boy's while she clung to him.

* * *

Sasuke peeked out from between his fingers and watched the girl. For one, dramatic moment there was no movement and he honestly thought she had died in her sleep. But then her chest rose and fell, falling into a soft rhythm. The teen boy sat up slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements that might frighten her. However, even the slightest movement seemed to have attracted her attention anyway as she sat up quickly and started to move back.

Sasuke stood from his spot on the floor, one hand against the wall. He watched as her white eyes gleamed orange in the firelight. For a split second he could see his own reflection in her white-purple orbs before a kunai was flying at his head. By reaction his hand flew in front of his face and caught the kunai between his fingers when it was just an inch from hitting its mark. The Hyuuga girl shuffled back further, overtaken not only by fear, but by pain, too. Sasuke masked his face and took a step closer. He wasn't quite sure what he meant to do or why he was doing it. He was simply moving.

The girl's face illuminated with recognition as he came into the light and her slim figure stood from the ground, one of her hands against the wall in mimicry of his. However, as soon as she was up her legs gave way and she toppled into him, her thin arms latching around his neck.

If Sasuke was surprised, he didn't show it. His arms hung limp at his side as the girl before him sobbed into his chest. The teen boy's arms swung awkwardly at his sides, not sure what to do. Of course he had been around crying people before, but he had always scoffed and walked away, leaving someone else to comfort them (if anyone happened to come by). And on top of that, the last person who had cried around him that hadn't been killed was that Sakura-girl back in Konoha… But that annoying, good-for-nothing, pink-headed kunoichi hadn't been all over him like this girl was. That was a completely different situation, and one he never hoped happened ever again. Ever.

So what the hell was he supposed to do now?

There's a girl hanging on me, soaking my shirt with her tears and sobbing uncontrollably. What the hell is this?

_What a weakling…_

**Remember the nightmares, Sasuke? Remember waking up crying? You always wished there had been someone there to hold you, so why not be here for this girl?**

_You didn't have anyone, why should you show mercy to her?_

The boy listened to the contradicting voices in his head. He was a fifteen-year-old boy with a fifteen-year-old girl. She was crying. She needed someone. Sasuke raised his arms, as if to wrap them around her. The motion was awkward and hesitant. The entire time he considered simply wrapping her in a hug, he couldn't stop thinking, "What the hell, what the hell, what the hell?" Just as his arms started to close around her, his anger boiled. He was angry with himself for showing such vulnerability. He was angry with his brother for killing his family. He was angry with his family for being so weak. He was angry with Orochimaru for putting this poor excuse for a kunoichi into his care. And he was angry with this girl for showing up and invading his life. It just wasn't fair that someone who hadn't even spoken could make him feel so confused. Sasuke was furious and sentimental and irritated and vulnerable all at the same time. It was the worst thing in the world, yet he couldn't help finding comfot in the fact that this girl was the source. But the simple fact made him even more irate with her, which simply created more confusion.

What it basically came down to was this: he was upset for being happy that the Hyuuga girl, and not some outside source, was the root of all this confusion.

In his frustration Sasuke pushed the girl away, forcing her into the wall. He balled his fists at his sides and looked down, around, watching the fire and the still walls, anywhere but at the girl's crumpled form at his feet. Her shoulders still shook with sobs as she slumped against the wall.

* * *

Hinata clung to his frame, crying against his chest. It was someone familiar in the dark world she had gotten herself into, even if he was part of the darkness that surrounded. She was so confused. She was supposed to despise this boy supporting her. He was the scorn of the village, the reason the village was in the state it was. He was the reason Naruto was so preoccupied all the time. Too preoccupied to… The thought of the blonde ninja broke down Hinata's walls and made her hold on harder. She couldn't stop the tears from falling even if she tried.

After an enternity of clinging, Hinata felt Sasuke's arms lift in the beginning motions of a hug. This action, of course, only brought on confusion. She hated him so much. Yet in her vulnerability, she couldn't help but wish he would hold her back. All she needed was some comfort. Was that too much to ask in her fragile state? Apparently, from this boy, it was.

Instead of holding her, Sasuke's palms connected with Hinata's shoulders and pushed her off of him. The girl's hands untangled from behind his neck and she crumpled backwards against the wall, her shoulder blades hitting first as her body slid down the wall to the floor. What was she? She was so weak; she couldn't even bring her hands up to bury her face in. A mane of indigo hair fell in front of Hinata's pale face as her head slumped forward, her chin connecting with her chest. A shadow, cast by the flaming torches on the walls, fell over her as Sasuke stepped forward, towering from above. He bent down and latched his fingers around her thin wrist roughly, yanking the girl to her feet by her arm and dragging her down the hall. Hinata winced in pain. Sasuke pulled her arm so tightly she felt that it might come out of its socket. At the very least there would be a bruise on her wrist in the morning. She tripped over her own feet, her legs still like jelly, as more tears stained her cheeks. She heard a knob turn, a lock unlatch, and she was being thrown again. The girl toppled into a room, one she assumed must have been hers, and fell down to floor again.

Sitting with her legs to the side, as if she were in a skirt, her hands rested on the floor. Her hair was strewn in front of her blood-shot eyes. With some effort Hinata looked sadly through her curtain of midnight-blue hair at the boy standing in her doorway. His body was framed in firelight, a black sillouhette against the gray walls. His onyx eyes stared at her for a split second before the door slammed, plunging her into darkness. Hinata felt her way across the dusty floor, spreading her arms in front of her to the bed where she crawled up and buried her head in the pillow.

Back in Konoha she had a soft bed. She had big, fluffy pillows. She had piles and piles of blankets. She had a clean shower and a painted room with all her possessions. She had her family and friends. But it wasn't home.

Here she had a hard bed on a stone platform. She had one, flat pillow. She had a single white sheet that didn't even cover her toes. She had a stone shower and a stone room with stone hallways and firelight. She had three of the most wanted men in all of the hidden villages.

It wasn't home, either.

So where was she supposed to run _to_ when when all she had were places to run_ from_?

That night, Hinata fell asleep to the sounds of her own sobs, one final thought running through her head.

She had needed them, and they let her down. She didn't need them any longer. She hated them.

She had needed him, and he pushed her away. She wouldn't hope for his help any more. She hated him.

* * *

Sasuke threw the Hyuuga girl in her room. She looked up at him from her crumpled form on the floor, her big, white eyes full of longing and fear. And he had slammed the door and turned away.

The boy lay on his own bed, looking up at the ceiling, at nothing, with his empty, onyx eyes. She was nothing to him. She fell so easily. What a weakling, to let a silly nightmare devour her like that. It was ridiculous for him to have considered comforting her. What had she done to deserve his kindness?

Nothing, that was what. She hadn't done a single thing.

How could he have been so stupid to think that she was strong at all? Sure, she might have gotten lucky in their little spar, but he had been holding back. And that's all it was; sheer luck. She wouldn't beat him again. Not ever. She would be dead before the training had been going on for a week. Not because he did it intentionally, but because she failed. She would try to win, and she would fail. End of story. Case closed.

Sasuke closed his eyes and curled over on his side, ready for sleep. One final thought ran through his head.

They had all held him back. He could reach his potential without them there. He hated them.

She was holding him back. He could reach his potential without her there. He hated her.


End file.
